This book started in 1995 when I inherited a rather large
stamp collection from my mother, Ruth Myers, and my aunt, Julie Whaley.
Actually, it was really four or five collections, because mom and Aunt Julie
had inherited albums from other people. I had collected a few USA
stamps as a child, but I certainly wasn't prepared for what I inherited.
I wrote this book in an effort to help others in the same situation in which
I found myself.

This edition (the Fourth Edition) was issued in 2011 and is available for
you to read in its entirety, for free, on this
web site. The book consists of 27 chapters to help you make sense of a
stamp collection you might have inherited.

It also gives you some tips
on options you have in dealing with the collection (e.g., selling the
stamps, using the stamps as postage, giving the collection away, etc.).
It is not necessary to read the entire book; not everyone will be
interested in every chapter. The first few sentences of each
chapter tell you who might benefit from reading or skimming the chapter.
I hope this books helps!

There is no charge to read this
book online. If you like, you have my permission to
print out a copy for your personal use. Please keep in mind,
however, that I revise and update this online version from time to time.
If you print out a copy, you'll miss all the changes.

Libraries have my permission to
print out one copy (or several copies) of the book to put in
circulation. Again, please keep in mind that the book changes from
time to time. Once you've printed a copy, you won't see the latest
changes.

Book Chapters and
Sections

You do not need to
read the table of contents. You might take a minute to skim over the
topics to see what we'll be covering. You can always come back to this
page if you are looking for something in particular.

Chapter 8 Selling Material To a Local Dealer 8.1
General Issues 8.2 The
Stereotypical Local Stamp Dealer 8.3
Reasons to Go to a Stamp Dealer 8.4
Selling Certain Items 8.5 Other
Options 8.6 What a
Dealer Wants to See

Chapter 22 Using and Understanding a Scott Catalogue 22.1
General Notes 22.2 How
Stamps Are Organized in the Scott Catalog 22.3
Pictures of Stamps 22.4
Miscellaneous Information About the Stamp 22.5
Catalog Values